Layoff Rumors Surround IBM, Verizon, AOL Among Others

Layoff talk is rumbling at a number of tech companies as they seek to streamline operations and reduce costs.

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Besides Hewlett-Packard, where the merger of its PC and printing divisions is causing a lot of speculation around job cuts, here’s where talk is centering:

IBM’s job cuts in North America are estimated to have reached 1,790 workers, according to the union-organizing group Alliance@IBM. The company does not announce reductions or comment on them. Cuts are reported in the Global Technology Services outsourcing group as well as the Systems & Technology Group, which manufactures servers and computer chips.

T-Mobile is cutting 5 percent of its staff – about 1,900 people – and closing seven call centers in a restructuring after AT&T’s failed $39 billion buyout attempt. Its 24 call centers employ about 3,300 people. Some workers will be offered jobs at other centers and it has plans to add about 1,400 jobs. It also expects to restructure other parts of the business by the end of the second quarter.

Ericsson, which manages the Sprint wireless network, is cutting “less than 10 percent” of its 14,000 employees in North America. The Kansas City Star said Ericsson will cut 130 jobs in that area. As part of the $5 billion 2009 outsourcing agreement, 6,000 Sprint employees moved to Ericsson. An estimated 2,000 of them come from the Kansas City area.

Verizon Wireless plans to close or consolidate numerous call centers, which could affect up to 3,175 jobs. It will close call centers in Bellevue, Wash., and Southfield, Mich., by the end of June, and a call center in Houston by the end of September. The three sites employ approximately 2,600 people. It also plans to fold its Folsom, California, operation into the call center at Rancho Cordova, Calif., affecting about 325 workers. Another 250 employees could be affected by a consolidation of its Internet chat centers in Dublin, Ohio, and Elgin, Ill.

AOL eliminated about 40 positions, with most of the cuts in its AIM development team. The number of layoffs is expected to top 100, including at its Patch hyper-local news sites and elsewhere across the company.

Yahoo employees are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Thousands of layoffs are expected at the end of the month in a reorganization expected to hit the company’s products organization, PR and marketing, research, and regional efforts.

Goldman Sachs is performing its annual staff review, looking to cull those who fail to meet their performance goals or who can be replaced through technology or reduced pay. Some IT jobs could be in jeopardy.

Symantec is laying off 53 people in Beaverton, Ore., with a bulk of the cuts in sales.

Xerox isn’t giving figures, but is calling its cuts “relatively small.” It has 140,000 global employees.

Siltronic will cut 350 jobs in Portland, Ore., as the chip manufacturer moves its aging 150mm line back to Germany.

Nokia laid off 1,000 workers this week in Finland amid plans to reduce its manufacturing work force by 4,000 at plants in Reynosa, Mexico, and Komarom, Hungary. It plans to cut another 630 jobs in Finland in a restructuring. It’s part of CEO Stephen Elop’s turnaround plan to save $1.3 billion by 2013, which also calls for 17,000 job cuts globally.